Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sanam Marvi, a crusader of Sufi tradition

by Sher Khan The Express Tribune 23 August 2012

LAHORE: After her brilliant renditions on “Coke Studio”, Sanam Marvi has proven that she has a timeless and legendary voice. In a small home on the periphery of Lahore, Marvi is only concerned about one thing – music. In an interview with The Express Tribune,
she shares some insight about her music and the message she aims to
spread. Marvi sees herself as a crusader of the Sufi tradition, lending a
voice to it through her songs.

“My goal is to spread the message of Islam and truth,” says Marvi.
Lately, her Sufi-qawwal music has spread far and wide with vocal
appearances in Bollywood films such as London Paris New York and The Dirty Picture.
She is also routinely invited to Sufi festivals and has toured France
and Morocco with plans to go to the United States as well.
Sufi music seems to be entering the mainstream today and the reason
for that, Marvi explains, are initiatives such as the popular classical
music show “Virsa Heritage Revived” broadcast on PTV and “Coke
Studio” which have spread awareness and sparked an interest among the
public for Sufi music. Marvi says she holds immense respect for Rohail
Hyatt, whose work she feels has been mystically inspired.
She also has great admiration for the host of the “Virsa Heritage”
show, the well-known socialite and cultural icon from Lahore, Mian
Yousuf Salahuddin. Marvi refers to him as a father figure who she feels
has done a lot to promote the Sufi tradition.
“I think the most important thing is spreading the Sufi kalam,” says Marvi, explaining that her father was a Sufi singer. “That is my focus – spreading the kalam to all corners of the world wherever my voice leads me.”Recent projects
Marvi recently collaborated with Lahore based pop-rock band Symt on
“Coke Studio” and tested her vocals in a more modern sounding track,
“Koi Labda”. The single has become one of the most addictive tracks of
the season.
“Koi Labda” is an intriguing track as it portrays Marvi in a
completely different kind of vocal light and style, accompanying the
vocal prowess of Symt’s Haroon Shahid. “I didn’t know I was going to be
in the song, so it was kind of a surprise,” says Marvi. “It was very
different, Rohail bhai told me to try singing this song and try
singing it in a new style and make it seem as my own, so I tried to
show that I could do these songs too.”
Speaking more about the importance of her venture, Marvi states,
“Modern music is how younger audiences will connect with the Sufi kalam. My son who is quite young is already singing ‘Koi Labda’, and that’s what this is all about – having music for all ages.”
Her more recent project is a collaboration with Mekaal Hasan, which
is scheduled to release soon. Hasan is producing a song which will
feature Marvi alongside a group of international musicians.
She has also lent her voice to songs in various collaborative Sufi
music albums released in India. One such popular track is “Mera Tumba”
by which Marvi contributed to the album Teri Rehmatein.
“In India, there was not much interest in Sufi music a while back but
that has changed. People there now enjoy this music so much that each
song of mine is stuck in their minds,” says Marvi. “I think that it’s a
positive thing that interest is growing,” she concludes optimistically.Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2012.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Sanam Marvi, a crusader of Sufi tradition

by Sher Khan The Express Tribune 23 August 2012

LAHORE: After her brilliant renditions on “Coke Studio”, Sanam Marvi has proven that she has a timeless and legendary voice. In a small home on the periphery of Lahore, Marvi is only concerned about one thing – music. In an interview with The Express Tribune,
she shares some insight about her music and the message she aims to
spread. Marvi sees herself as a crusader of the Sufi tradition, lending a
voice to it through her songs.

“My goal is to spread the message of Islam and truth,” says Marvi.
Lately, her Sufi-qawwal music has spread far and wide with vocal
appearances in Bollywood films such as London Paris New York and The Dirty Picture.
She is also routinely invited to Sufi festivals and has toured France
and Morocco with plans to go to the United States as well.
Sufi music seems to be entering the mainstream today and the reason
for that, Marvi explains, are initiatives such as the popular classical
music show “Virsa Heritage Revived” broadcast on PTV and “Coke
Studio” which have spread awareness and sparked an interest among the
public for Sufi music. Marvi says she holds immense respect for Rohail
Hyatt, whose work she feels has been mystically inspired.
She also has great admiration for the host of the “Virsa Heritage”
show, the well-known socialite and cultural icon from Lahore, Mian
Yousuf Salahuddin. Marvi refers to him as a father figure who she feels
has done a lot to promote the Sufi tradition.
“I think the most important thing is spreading the Sufi kalam,” says Marvi, explaining that her father was a Sufi singer. “That is my focus – spreading the kalam to all corners of the world wherever my voice leads me.”Recent projects
Marvi recently collaborated with Lahore based pop-rock band Symt on
“Coke Studio” and tested her vocals in a more modern sounding track,
“Koi Labda”. The single has become one of the most addictive tracks of
the season.
“Koi Labda” is an intriguing track as it portrays Marvi in a
completely different kind of vocal light and style, accompanying the
vocal prowess of Symt’s Haroon Shahid. “I didn’t know I was going to be
in the song, so it was kind of a surprise,” says Marvi. “It was very
different, Rohail bhai told me to try singing this song and try
singing it in a new style and make it seem as my own, so I tried to
show that I could do these songs too.”
Speaking more about the importance of her venture, Marvi states,
“Modern music is how younger audiences will connect with the Sufi kalam. My son who is quite young is already singing ‘Koi Labda’, and that’s what this is all about – having music for all ages.”
Her more recent project is a collaboration with Mekaal Hasan, which
is scheduled to release soon. Hasan is producing a song which will
feature Marvi alongside a group of international musicians.
She has also lent her voice to songs in various collaborative Sufi
music albums released in India. One such popular track is “Mera Tumba”
by which Marvi contributed to the album Teri Rehmatein.
“In India, there was not much interest in Sufi music a while back but
that has changed. People there now enjoy this music so much that each
song of mine is stuck in their minds,” says Marvi. “I think that it’s a
positive thing that interest is growing,” she concludes optimistically.Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2012.

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